All The Possible Ways To Find Love
by BirdsAlwaysFlyAway
Summary: Max is the Matchmaker. She helps people find their other half – the person they are meant to be with. But Max has never been able to find her one and only guy. Is Max about to discover that a person she's known her whole life is the only one who will ever truly understand her – her One? All-human.
1. Savior

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, anything related to Maximum Ride, or anything Maximum Ride-ish.**

_**Summary:**__** Max is the Matchmaker. She helps people find their other half – the person they are meant to be with. But Max has never been able to find her one and only guy. But is Max about to discover that a person she's known her whole life is the only one who will ever truly understand her – her One?**_

All The Possible Ways To Find Love

Chapter 1 – Savior

_**(Max POV) **_

"Oh, my God, Max! You are the BEST!"

It was always the same. They were grateful to me. I was grateful for the small amount of cash that was paid. It was a win-win.

Another person caught my arm just as I was turning away from the newly happy couple, Maranda Stephens and Jacob Lee. I spun around to face Patrick Harding, who was wearing a _please, please, please help me _expression.

I sighed. "Can I eat my lunch first?"

"Pleeeeeease?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, wishing I didn't have this. Wishing I didn't have a 'gift'. It felt more like a curse, being able to find someone's other half, but unable to find your own.

And you never truly know how many want to be loved until they discover someone can find their love.

"Fine. What happened now?" I took a mouthful of water from my drink bottle.

Patrick had been a 'regular customer' for a little more than a month now. He'd been having a hard time trying to tell the girl he liked that he liked her. And, somehow, in the process of trying to spit out the truth, he'd managed to get her to start dating his brother.

Okay, so sometimes this 'gift' could get a laugh out of me sometimes.

"She had sex with my brother."

I choked, shocked. "What were you doing – spying on them?"

He looked down sheepishly.

"Oh, God." Someone save me from this conversation.

"She came over to our house, and they thought it was empty, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to do a little spying, and–"

"Hey, Max!" Fang, my brother's best friend, came to a stop by my side and slung his arm across my shoulders. "Sorry, Patrick, but I've got to steal Max away for the rest of the day. She promised to help me with something, so BYE!"

Fang quickly steered me away from Patrick, trying to keep a straight face. We turned the corner to find Iggy, hand slapped over his mouth in an attempt to hold in the laughter threatening to explode from his lips. When he saw me, though, he doubled over in laughter, and Fang chuckled.

I stepped away from Fang, his arm sliding from my shoulder, hands curled into fists on my hips. "Stop it! Stop laughing!" I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face for much longer if they continued to laugh.

"Sorry, sis, but that was just too funny!" Yes. My brother, Iggy, had sent his best friend to get me because he couldn't stand in front of Patrick without laughing.

"Ha-ha. So, what am I helping Fang with?"

Before anyone could answer, a high-pitched squeal called, "FANGY! FANGY POO!"

_Straight face. Straight face. Straight face. Straight face. Straight face. Calm and cool, Max._

The look on Fang's face was almost my undoing.


	2. Evil

**Disclaimer: I do not and, sadly, will not ever own Maximum Ride**

**NOTE: Thank you for commenting, favourite-ing and following my story! Thanks you!**

All The Possible Ways To Find Love

Chapter 2 – Evil

_**(Fang POV)**_

A body slammed into Fang's and nearly threw him backwards. "Fangy, I missed you _so much_!" Lissa cried, snuggling into his side. She had wrapped her skinny arms around his waist with a vice grip.

So, basically, he wasn't getting rid of her anytime soon.

Fang gave Max and Iggy a pleading look but they were too busy stifling their giggles to notice. Max and Iggy were twins and looked so alike that, if they wanted to, Max could be Iggy and Iggy could become Max. In fact, when they were children they had played that trick on Fang himself.

They were like the twin siblings he never had. And never wanted to have.

And they were _evil_.

As if to prove the thought, Max and Iggy simultaneously started to back away from him and Lissa. "We'll just…. leave you two lovebirds here…." Iggy said, faking hesitant. Max and Iggy grinned the exact same wide grins, spun on their heels and ran away, _still giggling_.

Great. They'd left him here with the annoying Melissa Vincent. That was like leaving him to die a lonely death. Lissa was like a leech you couldn't shake off no matter hard you tried. And, believe this, Fang had _TRIED._

"So, when are we going on a second date? You still haven't asked me!" Lissa complained and Fang sighed. Their 'first date' had been when Fang had gone to see a movie with Iggy. Iggy had unnecessarily told him "my bladder is going to spontaneously combust if I don't pee right now" and hurried away. One second alone and Lissa had jumped on her prey (Fang) and caught him like a fish in a bathtub.

Iggy hadn't appeared again for the rest of the day.

The twins loved to leave him at the mercy of Lissa, but usually they were hiding within hearing range. _Where were they now?_ he wondered.

"Uh… it's a secret. Special surprise… uh…" Fang stumbled over his tongue. He had never been good with words.

"Yay! When?"

Oh, no. He was not going to do this.

"Look, Lissa, I really have to go so if you don't mind…"

"Fang! Thank all of Heaven and Hell everything in between that I found you!" Monique Walker sped around the corner and stopped right in front of Fang. She placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him until he was sure his brain was moving around in his skull.

Monique – who, more often than not, liked to be called Nudge – was partnered with him in the joined assignment for History – and now his rescuer. "Fang!" she repeated, steering him away from an open-mouthed Lissa. "I'm just completely stuck on the History homework, and I thought you might have some more ideas we could use. I mean, you came up with all the ideas in the first place, but I thought you might have some more we could use…" She glanced behind them and when Lissa was no longer visible she let out a breath. "Gone."

"Thanks. Where are they?"

Nudge raised an eyebrow at him. "Right behind you." She stayed, obviously waiting for her daily dose of entertainment – something you could always find around the twins.

Fang turned around and saw Max and Iggy, trying to look innocent. Trying.

"You two are going to die," Fang told them in a deathly calm voice. "When you least expect it."

"Now, now, Fang," Max said, and they held up their hands in the 'we surrender' signal, backing away from him slowly. "There's no need for violence." She paused for a moment. "Okay, maybe you have a teensy weensy reason for murder at the moment, but not enough reason! You will rot in jail! Rot, I tell you! Rot!"

Iggy moved to elbow Max in the ribs, but she ducked away. "I think he gets the idea, Maxie…"

"Piggy," Max mumbled under her breath.

"What did you just call me?" Iggy demanded.

"I didn't say anything, Piggy," Max replied mischievously. And just like that they forgot Fang was standing right in front of them, ready to kick some twin butt.

"Oh, you are gonna pay for that, sis." Iggy hated being called Piggy, a nickname Fang had made up a while ago and Max had used to her advantage whenever given the chance.

"I don't see how being called 'Piggy' is worse than being called 'Iggy'. Seriously, enlighten me." Max's posture was very familiar – her feet set slightly wider apart, her arms loose at her sides. She was expecting a fight.

But Fang never let it get that far when he was around.

Fang's arms slid around Max's waist, moving to place himself between them. Once, just once, Fang had seen them go at each other and there was no mercy. Neither had gotten even the slightest scratch, they were just covered in dirt, but Fang wasn't sure it was a good idea.

Iggy was a great brother, and almost too protective – although he laughed at her small part-time job, being a Matchmaker and helping others find love. Iggy always went on and on about love being fake, and he never wanted Max to help him – Fang was sure Iggy didn't want to be proved wrong.

Max had done it a long ago anyway, found Iggy's 'soul mate'. Ella Martinez, she was the kind of girl who got straight A's every single year and followed the rules – the complete opposite of Iggy. But, if you thought about it, they would be perfect for each other.

Max had done it yet again.

"Okay. I get to murder you two first," Fang said very seriously, trying to lighten the mood between them. Nudge watched curiously from afar.

Max and Iggy shared a single look and then grinned at Fang. Yes, this was how easily they fought then made up again. Idiots.

Iggy, with an evil gleam in his eyes, cocked his head at Fang. "Hey, Fang, you done feeling up my sister?" Fang furrowed his eyebrows and then was suddenly very aware of his arm still wrapped tightly around Max, keeping her close to Fang. Both Max and Fang flushed and looked away as Fang released her.

Yep, just a normal day.

**And Fang has left the building! :D Review, please... or follow... or favourite... or bookmark it!**


	3. Kids

**Disclaimer: Never gonna ever own Maximum Ride… much to my disappointment.**

**NOTE: An update! And it's only been... what? Five days? I think I'm getting better at this updating quicker thing ;) Still working on the longer chapters thing. Another chapter is waiting for you if you scroll down just a LITTLE BIT... Everybody scream "Yay"! Oh! And thank you to all reviewers and people who take the time to read my story!**

All The Possible Ways To Find Love

Chapter 3 – Kids

_**(Max POV)**_

Iggy teased me relentlessly of Fang's little 'move' when we got home but all I had on my mind by then was the chocolate chip cookies sitting in the cupboard.

And Iggy was blocking my path.

Still. Teasing.

I tackled him to the ground mid-sentence, pushing him away. I jumped up and ran towards my cookies. Iggy swiped my feet out from underneath me and tried to pin me to the ground – when I kneed him where the sun don't shine. He groaned and rolled onto his back.

"You shouldn't mess with me and my cookies!"

"I'll never even dare to think that way again," Iggy moaned face down on the floor.

And I skipped away to my room.

I was happy for the next minute or so it took it devour the cookies – and then I remembered the work piling on top of work and building into a skyscraper. Homework. Matches. Work.

Sigh.

You have to understand, everyone wants to be loved, consciously or subconsciously, there isn't much difference. But the ones that come to me – they're all relying on me to help them. And no matter how much they annoy me at times, I truly want to help them. I want them to be happy.

But it's not like I can find someone who I don't even know exists, tell them to run to, say, Paris and the guy/girl your looking for is Charlie Goode. I have to hurt some people; I have to throw a bucket of water on their burning fire.

I just _hate _doing it.

Don't get me wrong – I try. I try harder than I should and that might have something to do with the growing pile of paper on my desk, but I didn't want them to think I'd given up so easily.

I dropped my head into my hands and groaned loudly.

"Max! Aren't you volunteering today?" Iggy called to me, most likely from the living room where he most likely shoving food in his mouth like there would be no tomorrow. Iggy didn't wait for an answer. "You better hurry up; Fang will be here any second and all girls need to be gone. It's Wednesday Dude Day."

Dude Day was something Iggy and Fang had made up in the 'girl's have cooties/boy's have cooties' stage in our lives.

"I'm going! Just give me a minute…" I quickly threw on some clothing I wouldn't mind being stained with who-knows-what and grabbed my phone from where it set on my bedside table.

As I passed Iggy who was lounged lazily on his back, chocolate all over his face, I said to him, "Don't eat my cookies – or you will be sorry!"

* * *

"Max! You came!"

I was tackled with hugs from all sides. I laughed. "Of course I came. It's Wednesday!" I gave hugs to each and every one of the kids – they were just so cute!

Yes, I volunteered almost every chance I got looking after the orphaned children.

A girl named Tess came up behind me – she was usually volunteering alongside me. We also went to school together. "I don't know how you do it. Really. You're like super nanny. They all love you."

I laughed again. "Any new kids today?"

"Yeah, just one." Tess looked over into a corner and I followed her gaze. I could just see a silhouette of a small boy just sitting, staring, and taking in his surroundings. "Named Ari. Seven years old."

"Have you tried speaking to him?"

"Yeah. He hasn't spoken a word. Won't even go near anyone if he can help it."

I was already walking slowly towards him when I said, "I think I'm gonna give it a go…"

"Good luck."

I could see the boy more clearly the closer I got. His wide eyes looked up at me, fluffy brown hair covering his forehead, and he scooted further into the corner and shadows. "Hey," I said softly, like I was talking to an injured animal. "I'm Max." I sat and crossed my legs, smiling warmly at him. "What's your name?"

"Ari," he said in a voice so soft I could barely here him. _Progress._

"Hi, Ari. Do you want to play with the other kids?"

He shook his head.

"Why not?" I asked.

"They won't like me," he said, voice full of vulnerability.

"How do you know if you don't try?"

He looked at me then with a look that told me he was going to give it a go but he was putting full blame on me if this didn't work. And that was fine with me because it would be my fault. But I had confidence that he would make friends just fine.

I stood and held out my hand to him. He stood and took my hand hesitantly. "You'll be fine," I told him as we walked over to the other children.

They all looked up as I walked over and Ari ducked his head shyly. A girl named Angel and her brother Gazzy were first to come over.

Angel and Gazzy were like twins despite the two-year difference in their age – same bright blue eyes and blonde hair.

Angel and Gazzy hugged Ari simultaneously and when they pulled away Angel was jumping up and down on the spot. "Max, Max, Max, Max, can we be Ari's friends?"

I smiled at her. "Why don't you ask Ari?"

"Can we be your friends, Ari?" Gazzy asked.

Ari, still looking at his feet shyly nodded. I released his hand and gave him a gently push towards Angel and Gazzy. They each grabbed one of his hands and pulled him along with them, Angel chatting excitedly.

Tess stood behind me, amazed. "You are like a miracle worker, you know that?"

I just smiled.

* * *

**HeadOverHeelsInHate: At the moment Nudge is more of an... acquaintance. Iggy and Ella aren't dating just yet... yeah, it's kinda like they're waiting for the right moment. But Max hasn't told Iggy that he and Ella are perfect together.**

**Again, thank you for reviewing, reviewers! :)**


	4. Caring

**Disclaimer: I cannot own Maximum Ride because a guy named James Patterson already owns it.**

**NOTE: This chapter is a much shorter than I would have liked, but here it is! Read!**

All The Possible Ways To Find Love

Chapter 4 – Caring

_**(Fang POV)**_

"Fang, dude, you're late!" Iggy yelled as Fang walked inside. Fang had no idea how Iggy knew it was him. Maybe it was the fact that he had walked inside without knocking, but you never know – Fang could have been a murderer!

Fang had purposely been late, trying to avoid Max. And Fang had no doubt that Iggy had gone on and on about it with Max.

He was almost blushing at the thought.

Iggy had chocolate covering his face like it was another part of him. Iggy was as loving of chocolate as Max was with her chocolate chip cookies. But, unlike with Iggy, you wouldn't dare go near Max's cookies.

Almost everyone close to Max had learned that the hard way.

"I can't _believe _you were late for Dude Day!" Iggy cried, his longish blonde-brown hair covering his eyes.

"Almost every day is Dude Day anyway," Fang commented, thinking.

"Yeah, but the day we call 'Dude Day' is also one of the only days we can kick Max out of the house!"

"If she wanted to, Max would stay. Nobody can make her do anything."

Iggy paused, thinking. "Okay, yeah, you're right. Now – let's get this party started!" He sat up and grabbed a movie… The Princess Diaries?

Seriously? Why does Iggy even bother to call it "Dude Day"?

"…Iggy?"

Knowing what Fang was thinking, Iggy sighed. "What? Chick flicks are actually really good if you watch the right ones!" Iggy said defensively.

* * *

"Okay, next we have… The Princess Diaries 2! Yay!"

Oh, no. Fang could not watch the sequel to _that_.

Fang wracked his brain to think of something to distract Iggy. "So… uh… what's Max doing?"

Suspiciously Iggy asked, "Why?"

"Just wondering how you get her out of the house."

"Volunteering."

Volunteering? Max, volunteering? Since when?

The question must have shown on his face because Iggy said, "Six months. She likes to keep it quiet – in case someone actually thinks she _caring. _God, forbid. It's kind of like with all those people in her little Love Business – you haven't seen how hard she works on those."

Fang could feel himself softening. Max had always seemed so… uncaring… and he'd cared for her then, but knowing that she used all her free time trying to help people, well, Fang could feel himself caring a little more.

But it also hurt to know he didn't know her as well as he thought he did.

Iggy pat him affectionately on the back. "Don't worry. I freaked when I found out and that was a couple months ago. Just because you don't know something about her doesn't mean you don't know her." Iggy grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "Nice try, by the way, but your not getting out of watching the Princess Diaries 2. Cheer up, it's gonna be fun!"

Fang sighed. Fun. Yay.

**I SWEAR THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE EXTRA LONG, LONGISH, AS LONG AS I CAN MAKE IT!**


	5. Strangers

**Disclaimer: IDNOMR**

**Note: Back again! Thank you EVERYONE (Especially the reviewers :D) and keep on reading for the chapter **

All The Possible Ways To Find Love

Chapter 5 – Strangers

_**(Max POV)**_

"I'm home!" I called, closing the door with a click. My feet made almost no sound on the wooden floorboards. I crept into the living room to find… both Fang and Iggy curled on opposite ends of the couch, watching something on the TV.

"Is that How To Train Your Dragon?" I asked and both Iggy and Fang jumped, turning to look at me in surprise. "Iggy! Didn't we agree that you were too old for these movies?"

When I sat down between the boys, Iggy said, "But you can never be too old for these movies! I mean, isn't Toothless cute!" If Fang wasn't here I was almost positive he would have squealed like a girl.

I looked at Fang and his worn out expression. "He made you watch the Princess Diaries, didn't he?"

Fang nodded. "And the sequel. Twice." He sighed and sunk lower into the couch cushion.

"I'm surprised you haven't left yet."

Fang chuckled softly and looked at me with his deep brown eyes. "Actually, I tried to go. He refused to let me go." His eyebrows furrowed and expression became dazed.

I squinted at Iggy. "You are a horrible best friend."

Iggy grinned from ear to ear. "I'm a great friend. Fang will thank me one day."

I sighed, shaking my head at my brother. "Yeah, in… never."

"Uh huh, Max, believe what you say but it will never be the truth," Iggy said mysteriously.

"What?" I asked.

"Exactly." Iggy lifted his feet onto the coffee table. "So, Max, how was volunteering?"

In the corner of my eye I saw Fang flick his eyes towards me and I knew he was listening now. "Fine. New kid named Ari. He kind of reminds me of Mum…"

Silence.

Our Mum had disappeared four years ago and never been found, so it wasn't exactly the smartest idea to mention her around Iggy or Jeb (Daddy Dearest), but sometimes I just wanted someone I could talk to about her – someone who understood her and wanted to talk about her, too.

"So, when's Jeb coming home?" Fang asked, effectively breaking the silence.

Iggy cleared his throat. "Dad should be home soon. You better get home, too, Fang; it's getting late."

I looked out the window and at the sun still high in the sky.

Fang glanced between Iggy and me and slowly stood up. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Iggy and I said, not looking away from each other.

"Okay…" Fang walked away.

Iggy waited until the front door was shut tight before saying, "Why did you bring up Mum?"

"Because I want to talk about her."

"Well, you shouldn't," Iggy snapped at me and I recoiled. Iggy only ever spoke to me like a brother – kind, loving, overprotective, playfully.

"We can't just pretend she was never here!" I screamed, my voice choking on tears that threatened to spill from my eyes.

"We can and we will!" Iggy took a step towards me and raised his hand above his head. I flinched away, waiting for the impact, but it never came. I looked back up at Iggy, fear filling me, and in his eyes I saw realization for what he almost did and how horrified he was that he'd nearly done it.

A sob escaped me and I ran away from Iggy. I ran out the front door and down the street, faster than I have ever ran before until I collapsed to the ground in a patch of thick shrubs.

"Max! _Max_, where are you!"

Footsteps slapped passed me and I held my breath.

"MAX! _Please, come back!_"

His voice faded away and when I couldn't hear him anymore I slowly stood on shaky legs and walked in the opposite direction of my home, allowing my feet to take me anywhere they desired.

Why had Iggy reacted the way he had and why had Dad acted almost identically when I had asked three years before? I didn't know who my family was anymore. They were different. They had changed.

They were strangers.

The sun had disappeared and I was standing in front of a familiar faded-red painted door. I knocked and waited.

"Max?" A shocked Fang stared down at me. "What are you doing here?"

I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. I found comfort in his familiar warmth and finally felt safer, like everything was normal, like I could be the same person I was before.

"Max?" Fang whispered, hesitantly returning the kind-of-hug. "Come inside and talk to me." He untangled himself from my arms and reached for my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine.

I felt half-asleep as my feet shuffled forward of their own accord, following Fang to his dark colored room. Fang let go of my hand and sat on his bed, patting the empty space beside him. I complied.

"Max? What happened?"

I ignored Fang and said quietly, "I'm tired, Fang. Do you know how tired I am?" I fell back onto the covers and stared at the ceiling, thinking.

"How tired are you, Max?"

I closed my eyes and mumbled, "Tired."

Hands lifted me and put me back down and I found a pillow beneath my head. The bed shifted when Fang fell beside me.

I snuggled into Fang's side, my eyes fluttering shut. Fang's hand started stroking my hair, willing me to fall into nothingness.

"Shh, go to sleep, Max."

It felt so much like Mum was here, stroking my hair, comforting me, loving me unconditionally that I whispered, "I love you," just as I fell asleep.


End file.
